


When Did They Get So Close?

by BaeLee



Category: Red vs. Blue
Genre: Background Relationships, Boys Kissing, Canon Compliant, Canon Universe, Deleted Scenes, During Canon, Eavesdropping, Established Relationship, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Kissing, M/M, Nuttington, Pillow Talk, Season 17, Time Travel, kind of, rvb17, washnut - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-20
Updated: 2019-04-20
Packaged: 2020-01-20 17:33:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,791
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18529843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BaeLee/pseuds/BaeLee
Summary: The reds and blues are back to their old selves again after being forced to relive their pasts. They need to strategize, but all Donut and Wash want to do is have some peace and quiet.Season 17 held me at gunpoint and forced me to write this.





	When Did They Get So Close?

**Author's Note:**

> Not my first RvB fic, but my first one that I'm actually halfway proud of. The Washnut tag was slim pickin's, so I figured I would contribute as much as I could.
> 
> I took some liberties with the timeline in this. I imagined that for our duo, their adventures through time lasted a lot longer than they appeared in the show. Also, Donut and Wash are already romantically involved by the start of this story.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you like it!
> 
> Both the title and a line in this fic were inspired by this lovely fanart. Please check it out, show the artist some love.  
> https://ozcarma.tumblr.com/post/183839012843/for-the-first-time-in-a-long-time-the-feeling-of

    Tucker knew that this entire paradox situation was confusing and unpredictable, but there was absolutely no way he would have guessed what would develop because of it.

    The reds and blues were gathered in Blood Gulch, fresh off of having their memories back in a comprehensible manner, and they had all splintered off to discuss with one or two others what they thought they should do regarding Chrovos.

    “Wash, what do you-,” Tucker started, though, turning around, he was met with Caboose instead of his team leader. He looked around for Wash, but didn’t see him. “Caboose, did you see where Wash went?”

    Caboose nodded. “Yes, he was just here.”

    “Did you see where he went after he was done talking to everyone?”

    “No,”

    “Great,”

    Tucker decided that he should really stop asking Caboose about things first, and went to see if anybody knew anything.

    Sarge, “Oh, he’s around, alright.”

    Grif, “He’s probably trying to get some peace and quiet. Can’t say I blame him.”

    Simmons, “He must’ve wandered off somewhere, I guess.”

    Lopez, “Lo vi salir con Donut”

    Donut. Now that he thought about it, where _was_ Donut? At this point, Tucker was too tired to care, so he went back to blue base to have at least a few minutes to rest. When he arrived, however, he heard voices from the back of the base facing the rock wall.

    “Thank you for doing that.” High-pitched, but soft. Definitely Donut. Before he had time to consider why Donut was at blue base, another voice responded.

    “You don’t have to thank me. I wasn’t going to let them walk all over you.” _Well_ , Tucker thought to himself, _found Wash._ Though, he wondered why he would choose Donut of all people to sneak off with. There was a pause, then Wash continued. “I know I haven’t always done that, and I’m sorry. I guess I forgot what it felt like to be ignored. I don’t want you to feel that way ever again.”

    Tucker’s curiosity got the best of him, so he pressed himself as close to the wall of the base as possible and snuck a peak at the pair. Eavesdropping was fun and all, but Tucker wanted to see, as well.

    Both of their helmets were off, held in the crooks of their arms. He could only see Wash’s face, as Donut’s back was turned to him. It would seem like an ordinary conversation between two friends if not for one small detail: they were holding hands. Wash had Donut’s free hand in his and was slowly rubbing his thumb across the other’s knuckles. The expression on Wash’s face was the softest Tucker had ever seen on the hardened soldier.

    Then, before Tucker could fully process what he was looking at, Donut leaned forward and planted a kiss right on Wash’s lips. What surprised Tucker the most was how natural this seemed to be between them, as if they’ve done it countless times before. Wash’s eyes closed, and his cheeks started to match Donut’s armor.

    _When did they get so close?_

Tucker decided he had seen enough. He was starting to feel guilty for spying on his friends during such an intimate moment, but not enough that he decided he couldn’t make fun of them for it later.

    He went inside and did what he came here to do. He got some rest.

 

~~~~~~~~

 

    As much as he knew they needed to come up with a game plan as soon as possible, Wash couldn’t help but want some time alone with Donut that didn’t involve one of them getting shot. So, when the opportunity came for them to sneak off together, he took it immediately.

    They stood behind blue base, and Donut took his helmet off, giving Wash an expectant look.

    “Well?” he said. “Take yours off, too.”

    “Oh, right.” Wash obliged, even though it went against everything he’s been trained to do. Though, at the moment, he really couldn’t care less about proper armor etiquette.

    “Thank you for doing that,” Donut said. He was looking down at the ground, and Wash could tell that he cared more than he was letting on.

    “You don’t have to thank me. I wasn’t going to let them walk all over you,” Wash said, gently taking Donut’s free hand in his. He had to let him know that the way the others treated him mattered. Hell, he was guilty of dismissing Donut at times. He couldn’t imagine ever making it up to him, but he sure as hell would try.

    When Donut kissed him, Wash could feel it in his bones, how much he cared for him. He figured that was a perk of going on a time travelling adventure with someone. They were forced to live through some of their worst mistakes together, bare their souls to each other. Wash didn’t know exactly how long they had flashed forwards and backwards through their shared memories, but he knew it was long enough that forcing himself to be vulnerable in front of Donut was a privilege, not a burden.

    When they pulled apart, Wash looked at Donut and decided that he would do anything to keep him smiling as brightly as he was just then.

 

~~~~~~~~

 

    Donut had kissed Wash before. Many times, actually, mostly rushed kisses during the few memories that had moments to spare that wouldn’t ruin the timeline. This time, however, was unlike anything they had shared before. This time, it was slow, intentional, and full of emotion. He could feel every ounce of affection Wash poured into it, and Donut hoped Wash could feel the same.

    Pulling back, Donut gave him a smile. It had been a long time since he felt this happy. He loved his friends, no matter how many times they had ignored him or brushed him off, but it felt good to actually be _seen_ by someone. It also helped that Wash was the most caring person that had ever shown interest in him.

    He had been beating himself up, that much was obvious. It was written in every line on his face, the guilt and regret. But that was how Donut knew he could trust Wash to treat him right.

    Wash sighed, letting go of Donut’s hand and cupping his cheek instead. “We should probably go join the others. Figure some sort of plan out.”

    Donut groaned. “Why can’t time fix itself so we can do what we want without having to worry about ruining everything?” Their moments together like this were fleeting, and as much as Donut hated it, it seemed this one would be too. He would cherish it, nonetheless.

    Wash chuckled. “Come on. We don’t want anyone interrupting us. They would never let it go,” he said, putting his helmet back on his head.

    Donut followed suit. “Don’t worry about that. I’ve walked in on Grif and Simmons doing much worse.”

    “I do not want to know that story,”

    “It’s several stories, actually.” Donut turned and walked with Wash out from behind the base and started walking towards where they had left everyone else. “I’ll have to tell you when we have the time.”

    Donut never wanted to break time and threaten the world’s existence, but he figured he didn’t mind so much if his choices landed him here with a guy who cared about him and a team he could trust.

 

~~~~~~~~

 

    The reds and blues decided to get some rest before taking on the god of time, so Carolina, Tucker, Caboose, and Wash went to blue base for the night. Tucker figured now would be a better time than any to dig his noisy self into Wash’s business. He doubted that he would get much of a chance after tonight, especially if their plans went south.

    Caboose and Carolina were in their separate rooms trying to get some sleep, but Tucker laid in his wide awake, biding his time until he could get Wash alone. After an hour or so, he figured it was safe to wander the base without being overheard.

    Wash, ever the insomniac, was seated on a couch in what served as a common room, meticulously cleaning his armor. Tucker, though he was tired, sat next to him.

    “This whole situation sucks,” he said.

    “Yeah, it does, doesn’t it,” Wash sighed. There was something else on his mind, but Tucker didn’t care enough right now to consider anything other than how he was going to approach this topic.

    “Must suck a lot less with a partner, huh?” Tucker said, which definitely got Wash’s attention.

    Perking up, Wash asked, “What do you mean by that?”

    Lacking any sort of subtlety, Tucker replied, “Donut? I overheard you guys talking when I came over here earlier, and you two seemed to be very familiar with each other, if you know what I mean.”

    Wash smiled faintly, shaking his head. “Kind of unexpected, huh?”

    “Hell yeah, dude. You guys are complete opposites.” As much as Tucker wanted to poke fun, his need to know as many details as possible outweighed his desire to make jokes.

    “We actually have a lot more in common than I ever would have believed,” Wash said. Tucker didn’t know how to respond to that, which was fine since he continued speaking. “When we travelled in time together, just the two of us, I got to see parts of him that I never would have seen otherwise. Parts of him that, when it’s all of us together, would be hidden or overshadowed.”

    “Well, I always had money on you getting with someone else,” Tucker said. He leaned back and placed his hands behind his head.

    Wash gave him a surprised look. “Really? Who?” he asked.

    “Uh, Carolina?” Tucker figured that if Wash would open up to anyone, it would be his oldest teammate. The choice was obvious, at least to him. Then again, that would mean Tucker was most likely to start dating Caboose, a thought that did not sit right with him.

    “No, no I could never love Carolina like that.” Wash’s voice grew a sad tone that he only used when talking about certain parts of his past. Tucker had a feeling he knew what part he was thinking about. “I don’t know if Carolina would ever-,” he paused. “It would take a lot for Carolina to open herself up to a relationship.”

    Tucker nodded, giving himself time to process what Wash had told him. After a moment, he said so quietly it was almost a whisper, “I’m just glad you found someone who makes you happy.”

    Wash made a confused noise.

    “He does make you happy, right?”

    This time, when Wash smiled, it was with his whole face. “I’m happier than I’ve ever been, with him.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading!


End file.
